Foot Surgery to Sideline Heat’s Tyler Herro for Opening Stretch of 2025-26 Season
tyler-herro-foot-surgery-to-miss-start-2025-26-season
MIAMI — Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is headed for surgery on his left foot and is expected to miss the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season, according to multiple reports.
The 25-year-old has dealt with recurring ankle and foot pain since early summer and attempted platelet-rich plasma and cortisone injections before doctors recommended surgery to avoid long-term damage. No formal recovery timeline has been established, but league sources told The Miami Herald that Herro is not projected to miss the entire season.
Career year interrupted
Herro is coming off his first All-Star campaign and the most productive season of his career, averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds across 77 games. He shot 47.2% from the field, 37.5% from three-point range and 87.8% at the free-throw line. Miami’s offense registered 8.6 fewer points per possession when he was off the floor.
Heat turn to Powell
With Herro sidelined, head coach Erik Spoelstra is expected to lean on Norman Powell, acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in a summer trade. Powell also posted career-best numbers last season, averaging 21.8 points while shooting 48.4% overall and 41.8% from deep.
The scheduling context adds pressure: six of Miami’s first eight games are on the road, and 11 of the first 15 are against teams that reached last season’s playoffs.
Contract clock ticking
Herro’s absence comes as extension talks loom. Beginning Oct. 1, he becomes eligible to add a three-year, $149.7 million extension to the two seasons remaining on his contract. If no deal is reached by Oct. 20, negotiations pause until next summer, when he could qualify for a four-year, $206.9 million deal—or a $380 million supermax—should he earn All-NBA honors.
Team president Pat Riley said in May that the franchise has not committed to an immediate extension. “We’ve already talked about it… we’ll see what happens as we plan,” Riley noted, adding that Herro “definitely is deserving of the thought of an extension.”
Source: Hoops Wire
